Hi all! Our African Road Trip is now in full swing and it with
Our last day in Cape Town proved to be quite an eventful one. We started the day with our familiar drive across the peninsular to Muizenberg where we were greeted by sunny skies, off-shore winds and classic waves. Before hitting the surf, the guys got themselves seriously kitted out with some new gear from from Lifestyles Surf Shop. Caroline paddled out on her new Clayton 7’10” mini-mal, while Mike, Aisha and Lucy gave their new Lawson 7’4” mini-mals a go. Ed opted for the more slender 7’2” model while Tim and I finished off our time in Cape Town on our longboards. It was a glorious winter’s day with wonderful weather and waves. Everbody put in some good rides on their new boards. It was a perfect way for us to sign off our time in Cape Town.
After the session in the water it was time to make our way back towards Kommetjie in order to pack and prepare for our first long road journey of the trip. The Timoney house was a frenzy of activity as the guys got packing while Tim and I strapped up boards and checked the van. After dinner it was off to bed for an early night’s sleep. We needed to be up before sunrise to get on the road the next day.
In the morning we said our good-bye’s to Shaun and Lucinda who were absolutely wonderful hosts and took great care of us while we were with them. We also said good-bye to Tim who had been our Cape Town connection and looked after all our surf and travel arrangements during our stay. It was still dark as we pulled out onto the road and a beautiful, star-strewn sky provided the backdrop as we made our way east, along the garden route, towards Plettenberg Bay.
The early start gave us a good, clear run on the road and coupled with a favourable tail-wind meant that we were going to make good time. Arriving in George well before our ETA we decided to make a few detours and see some of the sights on offer in this beautiful region of the country. First up we visited Vic Bay, one of the countries best right-hand point breaks, and watched a few of the locals tuck into some neat little waves. From there we went over to the visit the famous Knysna Heads which offer some of the most amazing views over the ocean and the little town of Knysna. The Heads themselves are carved out of the cliffs and form a giant gate-way between the land and the sea, a true spectical of the Garden Route.
Happy with the oportunity to do some extra sight-seeing we made our way back to the van and onwards to Plettenberg Bay. Plett, as it’s known, is a quint little holiday town nestled in the corner of the Robberg Peninsula. During the summer months the town is coloured with the vibrant hues of trees and wild flowers while in the ocean it is not uncommon to see families of Southern Right Whales and pods of Dolphins breaching in the bay. In winter the landscape takes on the more subdued tones of green and brown and the air is filled with the distinctive smell of fyn-bos (the common ground shrubs that cover the landscape). This was the sceen that greeted us as we pulled into the town and settled in to our accommodation. After luch we were met by Dona Henry who escorted us down to Solar Beach for the group’s first lesson in Plett.
Jon and Dona Henry are the founders of the International Surf School in Plett and have been in the business of coaching beginners for the past 10 years. With a wealth of experience, knowledge and enough energy to power a small town, they have gained a reputation as being amoung the top coaches in the country. For the first lesson the guys were drilled on water safety and awareness before paddling out. The waves in Plett are a fair bit more powerful than those we’ve been used to in Muizenberg so it took a bit of getting used to but as the tide bagan to fill and the waves eased off a little, the guys were soon on their feet and clocking in some good wave time! Jon’s presence in the water proved to be a big help as he called the guys onto some of the best waves of the trip so far. Ed and Mike put their new boards through their paces, throwing themselves into a few considerable waves while the girls held their own on the peak, scoring a few classic waves. The late afternoon clouds ushered in the coulours of the evening as the guys caught their last waves to the beach and after some post-session feedback we packed up our things and headed back to the backpackers for a good-old, South African-styled potjie kos dinner.
Today (Friday) the sun is shining and the weather is fine. Jon has just given me a call to say that the waves are looking good so I’m going to wrap things up here and get on down to the beach. So till next time…
Cheers from SA
Bevan